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NHS Equality and Diversity Council

In November 2012, the NHS Equality and Diversity Council (EDC) announced that it was to change its name to the Personal, Fair and Diverse Council in response to the Council’s new responsibilities for health inequalities and human rights as part of the Health and Social Care Act 2012. Feedback is important to us and we understand that the name change has met with some concern and debate.

The Council and its members have done some excellent work to ensure that the NHS makes real progress in moving beyond legal compliance and the requirements of the Equality Act 2010. This includes the implementation of the Equality Delivery System, which is being used by both providers and commissioners of services. We want to build on this success by using the Council to help us consider equality and health inequalities in line with the NHS Constitution – and we look forward to inviting your views on this.

In light of these considerations, we have agreed to operate as the NHS Equality and Diversity Council whilst further engagement is carried out.

This is an important time for the NHS Equality and Diversity Council since its remit has widened to include health inequalities and human rights. We are developing an on-going programme of engagement and actively seeking to involve patients, staff and communities in equality-related discussions via events such as the inaugural NHS Values Summit, which took place last month. Further engagement opportunities will be publicised early in 2013.

As community based organisation, we celebrated the EDS – I now feel it is important to sound a firm warning RE: change of name to the Personal, Fair and Diverse Council. There is a real danger, given the major & life changing human rights issues arising in health and social care right now, from the Mid Staffs Inquiry to Winterbourne and debate on the Liverpool Care Pathway – that people in the community may view this as shuffling deckchairs on the Titanic.
At the Tutu Foundation UK we work to build strong communities – and work with many groups and communities that have lost trust and confidence with public service providers – including some sectors within the NHS. We also work with NHS Trusts, who want to rebuild trust and confidence through using conflict resolution and mediation
At the Tutu Foundation UK we work hard to promote authentic Conversation for Change and Action – and welcomed the EDS as being outward looking. The EDS makes the views of local community groups, patients, Carers central. This change of name – has little meaning to those outside the NHS and indeed sadly through rapid name changes, not rooted in a common language – you run the risk of losing those people who count most. I accept around 1 in 23 of the population works for the NHS – but that means around 22 out of 23 do not – and the construction of new jargon, with little evidence of action, means people are switching off!

The point made by Shiela Robinson is well illustrated by the, in my opinion, flawed consultation on specialised services. This consultation apart from being run for a short period over Christmas and New Year was only available in English and online. You could not obtain a hard copy. I have already made a complaint about this. But it is a clear illustration of then point Ms. Robinson was making it is not just a problem at the local level it is a more pervasive problem which appears to go all the way to the top of the NHS.